1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to building construction and, more specifically, to an earthquake energy eliminator for building construction, which is inexpensive to manufacture.
2. Description of the Related Art
Earthquake energy eliminators are commonly used in building construction and installed in between columns, posts, walls, braces, etc., of a building, bridge, airport construction to absorb and guide out shock waves during an earthquake. These earthquake energy eliminators are commonly comprised of two bearing plates arranged in parallel, and a V-shaped or X-shaped connecting plate connected between the bearing plates. The V-shaped or X-shaped connecting plate is fastened to the bearing plates by welding or fastening means. Conventional earthquake energy eliminators are commonly expensive to manufacture. When installed, they may obstruct the sense of beauty of the construction. Further, because the connecting plate is a flat solid member, the shock absorbing effect of conventional earthquake energy eliminators is limited.
The present invention has been accomplished to provide an earthquake energy eliminator, which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. It is one object of the present invention to provide an earthquake energy eliminator, which is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to install. It is another object of the present invention to provide an earthquake energy eliminator, which is achieves a satisfactory shock absorbing effect. It is still another object of the present invention to provide an earthquake energy eliminator, which does not destroy the sense of beauty of the construction when installed. T9o achieve these and other objects of the present invention, the earthquake energy eliminator comprises two bearing plates respectively disposed at top and bottom sides, the bearing plates each having a plurality of mounting holes, and a plurality of connecting plates connected between the bearing plates, the connecting plates each having respective top and bottom sides respectively fitted into the mounting holes of the bearing plates and at least one opening spaced between bearing plates. The mounting holes can be elongated blind holes or through holes of any of a variety of cross sections fitting the top and bottom sides of the connecting plates. The size of the mounting holes is slightly smaller than the cross section of the top and bottom sides of the connecting plates. The bearing plates are heated to expand the mounting holes before installation of the connecting plates, so that the top and bottom sides of the connecting plates can easily be fitted into the mounting holes of the bearing plates. The bearing plates and the connecting plates can be made of metal or industrial engineering plastics. The openings of the connecting plates may be variously shaped. When assembled, a welding apparatus may seal the connections between the bearing plates and the connecting plates.
The foregoing object and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.